Guild Wars 2

My thoughts? That’s how life goes. I go through times when I can easily spend hours upon hours playing a game. I’ve been known to play for 18 hours straight at times when I’m not working. My usual pattern was to get a new game and play it until the end. I’d even block off a couple of days when I got a new sp game.

Right now I don’t do that. Gaming as a whole just isn’t something I feel like spending that much time on. It’s not the games. It’s me and I see nothing wrong with that. I play Rift too and am rather meh about the expansion as well. That could very well change when it comes out or it couldn’t. It’s not the game. There just isn’t any game I’m interested in playing for hours on end.

I’m really enjoying GW2 right now even though I’m only playing it an hour or two here and there. Usually in the morning I wake up, grab some coffee, put some music on and run around for a bit, have some fun. Then I get on with my day. I’m enjoying not feeling pressured to get anywhere quick. Just play for playing sake.

I think the OP has valid complaints for him which is why he’s leaving. Don’t see an issue with that it doesn’t seem to be the game he wants.

Of course peoples opinions vary. I like the game. There are things I don’t like. The one thing I do really, really like about this game is the getting rid of the holy trinity. Yep it sure is different if a person is used to tank, heal, dps. I am as I have been playing mmos for years that use that system. I still do play one.

Contrary to some of the comments from people that don’t like its removal I don’t find that it makes dungeons just a die, run back repeat affair. It just needs a different playstyle entirely which is great. No doubt the trinity is easier to play with pugs. With the trinity as long as the tank holds aggro and the healer heals and the group does the mechanics it’s easy. Without it everyone in the group has to pay attention and do bits of everything. I find it makes the fights way more interesting and challenging (if you don’t want to do the die and repeat thing). It also makes a situation where people really need to know their class, spec and skills and be able to think more on the fly.

It’s less forgiving then trinity fighting overall and a different mindset to get it done without a whole lot of death.

For me this is a good thing because it’s different.

Tanith.5264:

Sure, some things are glitched, but they’ll eventually be fixed…there’s plenty to do in the meantime. It boggles the mind.

But you’re always gonna have people like that. Just disregard them and get on with having a blast.

:)

I’ve come across a couple of glitches. Before reporting I checked the forum to see whether they’ve already been noted somewhere and then just moved on. Sure it’s annoying at the time but yeah they’ll likely be fixed at some point. I guess I’ve just been around these games long enough to have experienced that this weeks ‘omg the sky is falling’ to some people will be forgotten in month when another ‘omg’ comes up. (as long as it has been fixed of course).

It’s not that criticism is not valid it’s the freak out type that’s not really constructive and you have to sift through. Would I love a perfect game from release? Sure I would. I just don’t expect it. There will be bugs, and when bugs get fixed there will be other bugs. Things will change, especially with character balance. No MMO I’ve played isn’t in a constant state of class tweaking. This months OP class will be on the bottom in some other months. Rinse and repeat. In my other game during a year and half playing my main has been bottom, middle and top and I’ve watch my friends mains go through the same pattern. Same thing happened in my older game. Adjust, feedback adjust, feedback, adjust.

I don’t see why this game would be any different.

Ubung.7423:

I missed that comment. That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. It would have to be a separate area not just to let people know it’s much much more risky but to contain all the yelling and whining in chat. lol

Evil.9061:

It’s almost as if people were saying this nearly a month ago. At the time, those that said ANYTHING remotely negative about this game were told to go back to WoW. Most of us did.

I knew it was only a matter of time before people starting hitting 80, getting exotics and realizing they were done.

Like GW2’s bigger supporters will tell you, as they have told me weeks back " PvP is the endgame." And by Anet’s new post today, it seems thats really all they are focused on.

It was never hidden that PVP was a big focus. I’m not a big pvper in any game and it’s one of the reasons I never bothered with GW1 and that I waited to buy this one until a few friends had played for a few weeks and I could find out exactly what it was like. At this point I’m satisfied enough with casually making my way through the PVE aspect. It’s entertaining enough at this point. I haven’t quit my other game (not WOW) and continue to raid in it for that type of challenge.

I likely won’t do pvp until I finish leveling my characters. If I like it great. If not and the pve aspect doesn’t hold me then I’ll just let the game lie for a while. No big deal as it’s something I expected coming into it.

Galen Grey.4709:

Zergs do make the game way too easy but its easily fixable, just avoid the zerg! if you dont join it it will not make your life easy.

Only problem with that is unless you try them at an unsual hour you will not be able to avoid the zerg when it comes to world bosses.

That being said Most events are a bit on the easy side especially when you’re down scaled. I would like if you dont get scaled area level + 1 at the very least! a harsher downscale penalty perhaps that scales with your level (the more traits you have unlocked the bigger the penalty) might also help make things more intersting. As it is right now doing any event <60 unless its a group event that you solo you will not die unless you make a big mistake! Would love if the game was more lethal then that!

One of the reasons I prefer to have less people around is to avoid the zergs. Way more challenging fighting some events with 3 or 4 people. Dying doesn’t always get you a rez and matters a whole lot more to success or not. Some of the most fun I’ve had PVE wise is coming across a DE and I’m by myself at least for the first part of it.

In zergs as comments have suggested dying doesn’t matter. Many people just don’t bother to try to avoid anything. Red circles on the ground? What me worry. I watch people go boom all the time to things that could be avoided (especially melee) and either lie there and wait or just run back and continue fighting. Many open world event mobs do have mechanics it’s just that many people either don’t notice as much (because of the safety of zergs) or don’t care. Stick a few players in the same events and you can see who knows how to really play.

Not really sure how to change things to take the ‘zerg’ or zerg mentality into consideration. Make death count more? Likely to see big complaints. Make it harder? Then it might make it out of reach for tiny groups.

I’ve played a few other games and I have yet to see really challenging fights (beyond traditional raid set up fight) when a zerg occurs.

I’d say it depends on how you like to play. If you like up close melee warrior and guardian are easiest.

If you like to play range, kite and run around fighting multiple mobs ranger is easy and fun for that.

I have two main characters I play right now depending on what I feel like, a guardian and a ranger. I don’t find much difference in ease of play. They just both work differently.

I turned 35 yesterday and did my first dungeon on explore mode. I went with some guildies, two of which had gone before so could explain things.

I got rocked over and over in the beginning and loved every minute of it. Instead of getting frustrated I knuckled down, realized I had some more things to learn about my class and needed to pay attention more to learn what I needed to know. Going in I thought I was pretty good at dodging. Nope, room for improvement there. Yep it was expensive but the feeling of finally getting it on one boss and keeping alive was awesome. Next time will definitely be easier.

I wouldn’t want them to be any easier. I can only speak for myself but I expect that there are more like me. It’s not just about rewards. By the end I could care less about what I got. Not dying as much, because of improving how I play was a better reward in the light of being entertained which is the main reason I play these games. Rewards are the icing on the whole cake.

Pandemoniac,

Okay that may explain what was happening to me today. Did my first dungeon earlier today. Ranger (35) with a bunch of other downleveled 80’s. On one group of trash no matter what I did, as soon as I started pewpewing at range, the warrior in the mix would leave the group and make a beeline straight for me. He’d cross half the room. lol Happened even after I died and ran back after a couple of shots. I know it wasn’t my dps. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out how the aggro was working. It started to feel like a personal vendetta.

It got to be quite comical. Oh hey guys here he comes again!

I don’t have hundreds of gold. I started the game later then most so missed the early TP trading. I have 5 characters with my highest at 35. So far I’ve got about 30 gold. I’d have alot more but have spent quite a bit on mats for leveling all the professions.

A few gold was made when I lucked out and got a black dye drop and another one that was worth a lot. I sold both of them. I always check the prices of dyes that drop before deciding to keep them. Right now I just sell most of them. I like dye but figure I don’t need them all right away.

I realized that after checking the prices for some mats that vendoring most blue drops instead of salvaging and using that money to by the same mats I would have salvaged from them netted more money.

While buying a couple of insignias to get me over a crafting level hump I noticed that one was selling for several gold but that the mats needed for it were less then 1 gold on the TP and that there were a lot of orders for them at a couple of gold under the selling prices. I made a couple and put them up for sale at a little under the last seller price. They sold almost instantly. So I bought more mats and made a larger batch. Again instant sale. Ooo gold mine! So I spent a couple of hours buying, crafting and selling until it became obvious that other people caught on and the selling price went down to almost the order price. I made close to 5 gold doing that and it was only a 75 crafting level item which was cool.

Since then I’ve looked for a similar situation and although I haven’t found anything with quite that much profit I’ve made some silver here and there by buying mats and crafting something that sells higher then the mat price.

Other then that I avoid using waypoints unless it’s really necessary and just sell mats I come across that I don’t need anymore.

I’ve informally grouped with people when running around the same area. As many have said there is no need to formally make a group because awards are shared. Sometimes we chit chat but again as many of said taking the time to type while fighting either gets you killed or the thing you needed to saying something about is over and done before you get the words out. Not needing to officially form a group in open world to cooperate is one of the big pluses in this game as far as I’m concerned. I’ve played other games and don’t find much difference at all in how much random people talk just because the game says we’re in a group.

The other day I came across a couple of other players by a champion. We didn’t group up but we briefly talked about strategy before we pulled. We got killed on the first try so we talked again and tried something different. After we downed it we ‘wahooed’ together. I said thank you and that I was off to go to this area. One guy said he was going to craft the other said he would tag along for a bit. We killed some things and then he said he needed to go. Said our brief good byes and parted. So yes I met some people sort of. We socialized a bit. I don’t see how formally having to group together would have made much difference. It wouldn’t have made us ongoing game friends anymore then not grouping would have.

I’m in a guild and socialize in chat with them. Mostly when I’m not actually doing anything. Occasionally I’ll need help on something and someone will group up and help. I’m in voice chat quite a bit.

The most socializing I’ve done with random strangers though is not when I’m actually fighting. It’s when I’m standing in some place, either taking a break or geeking out on the view and someone comes along. I’ll say hey how are you. Sometimes people won’t stop and ignore it. Whatever, it could be for a number of reasons. I don’t bother getting annoyed by it. Many times they’ll stop and say hi back. If it seems like they want to chit chat a bit we do. Usually about something in game, sometimes about something silly and sometimes just random social chat. I’ve found these are the best conversations. The breaks between the action.

I agree with Mrs Angel. It sounds like you were looking for something different and there is nothing wrong with that.

A couple of years ago my cousin finally talked me into trying out WOW when I got a decent computer and connection. It was fun at first something new but after leveling my first toon I found myself logging in less and less. After three months I was bored and playing seemed more like a chore then fun. I let my subscription go. For me I found it hard to understand how people have played it for years. shrug

So far I’m really liking this game. It works for me for a number of reasons that WOW didn’t. I like it for a few of the reasons you don’t like it. Nothing wrong with that either. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

The trolling really stinks. It won’t stop me from rezzing people. As a player it’s something I like doing and it goes with the rp of my character that goes on in my head. None of them would leave anyone in a bind.

Usually it’s easy to get to them but sometimes it’s a challenge. I like that challenge. It’s fun. An "I’m coming button’ would be great. Sometimes I try to send a tell so they don’t release as it is a pain to work at getting them just to see them disappear but I don’t let it bug me too much.

I do have a funny story though. I was speeding along and saw two blue circles so took a detour. It was an event. Saw the downed people near a vetran surrounded by half a dozen minions. "Ah this will be tricky,’ I thought. So I edge up near them hoping to not pull aggro. I revive one person and prepared to do the next when that now alive person ran forward to attack and pulled them all. Bam now I’m dead and he’s dead again. "Moron,’ I thought myself. Not to be stopped I released and ran back. I rezzed again and bam…the same thing. Gah! Okay now I’m determined. Release, run back and rez the other person. Maybe they’ll be smarter but no, they ran in too!

So I start typing out some instructions to politely explain that a good strategy was to get out of the way until both of them are rezzed so we can group and attack together.

Clickity clack, clickity clack…..

Oh…

Wait….

They’re NPCs…..

facepalm

Who is the moran now? lol

I just got it a week and half ago. I have 5 characters on the go with the highest at 32. Not sure my play hours but it is a lot. I bought gems for a couple of extra bank slots as well. Even with the extra on top of that 60 dollars if I was to quit tomorrow I’d say I had my moneys worth relative to other 60 games that I can pick up and put down when I want too.

I can’t see myself quitting. Having fun so the value will just grow. Since this game will expand at some point and is ongoing for who knows how long I can say that it is well worth the money. Glad I bought it.

SHM.7628:

Cancer.9065:

Necro 80, because I wanted to see the the “ending” of the game.

Alts currently 31W, 30Eng, 20R, 15Ele, 15G, 10M, 4T

Am I playing like that to go slow? not really more like efficiency in crating … all my crafted gear gets used by the other toons (hence all the rounded levels)

Prob why I don’t grieve too much about TP… all my crafted gear is useful, and mats are easy to come by since each toon gets enough mats by completing their zones to craft their own gear.

Maybe it’s just the way I’ve been playing but crafting has been a useless endeavor for me thus far. with my fist character, I’d just buy from the armor/weapons trader every 5 levels and while fighting mobs between 1 and 5 levels above myself, I’d be armored well in at least greens from the kills.

Once I had a level 80, my alts could could simply buy armor from TP for little cost reletively. If not then, I could do what i did with my primary for virtually the same effect.

Perhaps when you are maxed out the crafting will be well worth it, especially for jewelery. I’m just not seeing it yet.

I’m playing 5 characters which have all of the professions which I’m leveling as I level them. I probably could just buy their equipment too and be more efficient but crafting is a goal I’ve just set for myself as I level up. For whatever reason I just find it part of the fun. Another way to level which I find interesting. Doesn’t really matter if it will be worth it when they’re all maxed out. If they are great and at least I won’t have to go back and do it. If it’s not it will be done anyway and provided some enjoyment along the way.

Of course not everyone likes the same things. It’s just one way to play. I seem to be leveling my characters in increments of 5 levels, getting them geared using the other characters and moving on. I hop back and forth to get the rarer nodes and rich veins on each most days, so I’m always mixing things up. Also been playing the TP a bit to fund some of the mats I might be short of. It’s like my characters are one group of friends helping each other out a long the way. Geeky but I like to think they all know each other in game. lol

I am. I have 5 characters between 15 and 29. I’m just at 80 hours though as I got the game a week or so ago. I’m leveling all the crafting as I’m going so I switch characters depending on what mats I generally need as well as just play what I feel like. I’m taking a lot of time learning the different professions and exploring. I will get to 80 eventually though at this rate it will be a while.

I think my ranger will get there first followed closely by my mesmer. Don’t really care I’m just playing and having fun.

I won’t be leaving here for Rift. I play both right now so can’t see that changing. I likely won’t log in here as much for a while when the expac hits buts that’s the same with any other game.

For me I’ve personally never understood the idea of only playing one game at a time anyways. Especially when a game like this doesn’t have a sub.

Well this won’t likely make me quit but this DR thing is putting a damper on the way I like to play. I’m not a farmer in terms of wanting to make gold. I like to craft. For me it’s fun to have several characters on the go at once and keep their crafting professions leveling up at the same rate to provide every one with gear. I don’t care about making things to sell and likely lose money doing this but I find coordinating and the aquiring of mats to be fun. I get a kick out of the process.

Doing all the professions at once takes a lot of mats. My usual pattern of play is to do some story and quests and then just have the profession that I enjoy playing that day do some farming for whatever I need while watching some tv. It’s my relaxation.

This DR thing is making doing this more difficult especially since I don’t know exactly how it works and sit there wondering if I’ve hit the DR, have lousy RNG or have got some bug.

I most likely won’t quit over it. I’m trying to adapt and figure out a system that mirrors my idea of ‘fun’ in this game. It’s just added some annoyance which isn’t so much fun. It’s the unknown that’s the most bothersome.

I can understand the reasons why they stuck it in. I get it. I just wanted to give an example of a way of playing which I think is completely legitimate that it affects negatively. Hopefully there will be some adjustments with this sort of feedback.

I started less then a week ago and so far there’s been lots of people in the zones I’ve been in. Maybe for people that started when it came out it seems barren comparatively but as a new player I’ve never felt alone. So far there was only one event somewhere in the starting Char zone where I was by myself for a good part of it until some others showed up. I was having fun though working my way slowly through it. It was a real challenge. Other then thats I have never had an event happen where people don’t show up.

I’ve met people and joined a couple guilds too.

Curuniel.4830:

I also feel the opposite to the OP. In most MMOs I’ve played, everyone plays entirely separately, toward their own goals, except where content requires a party. Then they find one, get it done, move on. In GW2 you never have to put a party together, you never have to formally agree to work together (outside of dungeons) – you just do it.

Maybe people don’t talk. I would reply if someone said something in chat, but I guess not everyone does. I love the fact that we can co-operate without communication, though. You can share awesome game experiences with people you happen across without ever talking to them.

I will say that GW2 does not lend itself as well to playing along with friends, for various reasons. I think it’s better suited to fluid groups, coming together and flowing apart again. I’d go to a map with friends, but I don’t mind if we end up going separate ways then rejoining each other or helping each other out later.

This is similiar to how I feel. I’m not against chatting but to be honest I’ve been spoiled in my other MMO by voice chat. I barely pay attention to my window and if I don’t notice the brief chat bubble I miss people talking. There have been several times I saw that someone said something that I completely missed. I’m also kitten and take a long time to type when someone does to the point where they’re gone before I get my reply out. lol

In this game I do find a lot of unspoken communication happening. People help me and in turn I help them all of the time. People seem to go out of there way to rez and jump in and help save my butt. It’s cool and not something I’m used to happening in other MMOs. Today I spent a whole DE chain with someone. It was just the two of us and without saying a word to each other we found a good groove with our respective classes and worked as a team. It was fun. At the end of it, we said goodbye and see yah around. Even though we didn’t talk it felt quite social in a weird way, the social just happened through the actual playing.

I’m enjoying how the design of the game allows for this type of thing to happen as I’m not always up for standing around and chatting about doing things rather then just doing them.

It sounds like some adjustments need to be made and hopefully anet will look into it.

I know at least one game where the way the game doles out rewards were adjusted over time to allow people healing and doing other support stuff for players to count as participation. Now you don’t even have to hit the mob and still get participation points and rewards.

Not a coder but it sounds like it’s just a matter of counting support ‘hits’ (heal, boons etc) on the damaging players to whatever code that determines the % that people are participating.

I like mounts. I just like the asthetics of riding around and collecting them. While I would love to have them in this game I don’t feel lost without them. I’m not finding it a big problem traveling around on foot especially with speed boosts.

If they decide it works with the game design and they’re added in the future great. If not then no big deal.

Was doing a level 10 event nearish Beetlerun. Around 20 people were escorting some moa trainer guy. Met some groups of mobs along the way and pew pewed them down. Then we rounded a corner and another group was there. Started the group pew pew and then within maybe 20 secs every single one of us was dead with the little mobs running back and forth over our bodies.

Then it was like MMO silence…….. No one typed anything. I think like me we were all ‘wth?’ and staring at our monitors. I was at least.

I lost it when someone typed ’level 10 event my a%s!!"

Then chat just broke up laughing. It seemed even funnier as we waited for a couple of people to respawn (the waypoint was quite far) and come back to rez us. All these little chat bubbles popping up over the pile of dead bodies as we killed time.

Still makes me laugh remembering it.

For me it’s one of those things when I look back there are things that I am fond about. I agree that tougher penalties did heighten tension and there was a certain feeling of accomplishment after grinding something out. Then I remember the lows between those ‘yeah go me’ times as well as how long the mundane stuff took.

I’m older now and my life is quite different. I just don’t have the time or the inclination to play that way anymore, with time being the big one. I just can’t justify walking for an hour, through the same place and staying up into the wee hours to fight for some spawn. I also know that my idea of ‘fun’ has changed over time. If I think about it as a whole I wouldn’t have fun if I started those games now. Things I found fun then would probably seem stupid and annoying now when I get down to it. lol

As some have said there are games out there that still have that sort of stuff. I appreciate that many games have evolved in design to offer a choice. If they were the same as they were then I probably wouldn’t be playing much anymore.

On other games I’ve never been much of altoholic. After playing this one for a few days and trying out a few different professions I was having a similar issue and couldn’t decide on a main. I had fun playing several different classes. So how do I choose? My answer was I didn’t.

There is no rule book that says I have to have a ‘main’ and work that one up first. I have five characters now and over the past few days have been leveling them up at relatively the same pace. The ability to travel to different starting locals and whatever area I feel like in this game is making it quite fun. I’m also leveling all the crafting professions at the same time and working my characters as a team. Need some mats to make a piece for one character? I just switch to another to gather what I need and explore and level at the same time. I’ve sent ones off to gather cooking supplies as they all aren’t found in all areas.

In doing this I’m seeing so much of the whole game rather then concentrating just in a small area. My ranger is a bit ahead of the crowd right now just because I was having fun and played it a bit more. I could say it’s my ‘main’ but it doesn’t necessarily mean it will stay that way if I just feel like playing in a different style. I could end up feeling like pushing one to 80 or I could not.

Playing this way it will definately take me a loooong time to get to 80 with any of them but who cares. I’m having fun and well…just playing which is the point of a game. lol

My point I guess is that there really is no reason or rule you have to choose one character and only work on one at a time. If your having fun playing one type one day and another the next then just play that way. This game is set up really well play this way in terms of available content. One may end up pulling ahead and becoming a main as you play or it may not.

I just started playing a few days ago. So far I’m really enjoying it. After reading as much as I could about it I’ve decided to approach the whole game differently then other MMOs I’ve played and the one I still play. I came in knowing that in the ‘endgame’ there wasn’t raiding and beyond the few things already mentioned that was it for now. I have another game that I pay for monthly to raid so for me no big deal.

I’m not playing for or even striving to get to the end fast at all. I’m just playing for the journey at this point and have five characters set up and going. I figure at this rate it will be months before any of them hit 80 as I’m playing to accomplish as much as I can along the way. The way I see it is that ‘endgame’ is now. I’m already doing it. I’m finding it unlike my other MMO where the point seems to be to level as quickly as possible to get to the good stuff. Here there is good stuff all the way up. Might as well enjoy it and just play around.

I was so happy when I found out that any character could go to any zone I wanted. The world is huge and there is so much to explore. The amount of leveling content is huge. If I just played one character I would only touch very little of it. Some people will level one and go back. I’ve chosen just to ‘play’ in it as much as I can and have fun and not worry about getting anywhere fast. This game is ideal for this type of playing.

And if I’m not having fun I can leave it for a while and come back with no monthly sub hanging over my head making me think I’m wasting money. It’s great. I can see myself playing it for a very long time along with my other main MMO and the numerous other single player games that come out along the way.