Guild Wars 2

I’ve given the matter some thought and I’ve decided that I’m willing for y’all to release the expansion early.

Will tomorrow at noon your time be ok?

Rhanoa.3960:

Standard POF $49.99 + Free GW2

New & Returning Players Get: (Non-HOT Purchasers)
*New Class
*Level Boost

Standard POF $49.99
Standard HOT $49.99
Standard GW2 $59.99
$159.97 5yr Investment. (Excluding deluxe & Gem purchase)

Veteran Players Get:
*Level Boost (By now some of may have 9 or more Characters at 80) Useless.

If you’re going to continue your complaining, at least get your facts straight. You might also look into how businesses work, and how value is determined in business-consumer relationships. Since I don’t expect you to, here’s the crash course as it applies to the situation under discussion.

• 5 Years ago (you?) spent $59.99 to purchase access to GW2. For those 5 years (you?) had the opportunity to enjoy the game. (You?) also got — for no additional cost — access to LS1 and 2.
• 2 years ago (you?) spent $49.99 to purchase access to HoT. For those 2 years you had the the opportunity to enjoy what HoT brought to the game. (You?) also got — for no additional cost — access to LS3.
• Now, (you?) would be paying $29.99 (not $49.99) for standard PoF. (You?) will get the opportunity to play what PoF offers as long as you care to. Freebies: the level boost you don’t care about, plus the shared inventory slot it arrives in (which would cost $8.75 if bought separately).

• The new player spends $29.99. He will get PoF, the same way (you?) will. Freebies: restrictions on free GW2 core removed; level boost (which you seem to presume has value for him); shared slot; and Revenant unlocked.

He does not get:

1. Core Gw2 for free (just the removal of the restrictions)
2. The 5 years of access (you?) got to core GW2, including any titles, achievements, drops, legendary weapon(s) produced, and anything else that adds value to a virtual game account.
3. LS1 (it’s gone)
4. LS 2 (he would have to pay an additional, not inconsequential fee to get this)
5. Any of HoT except Revenant base profession. Were I to have to tell you how little a percentage of HoT Revenant base profession is, you would have no business talking about numbers.
6. The two years access (you?) had to what came with HoT, along with any (see #2 for the add-ons)
7. LS 3 (he would have to pay an additional, not inconsequential fee to get this)

Were he to purchase all of the above, he’d be spending a lot more than $29.99, and he cannot purchase retroactive access.

And now the good news. (You?) too can partake of the “enormous” deal that the new player gets with PoF while the Veteran gets so “little.” All (you?) have to do is buy PoF and link it to a new account. Not interested? Why not, if the value of having (your?) account all this time is not part of the equation?

Forget the bosses. What about all those trash mobs? Scores upon scores of (mostly, excluding the Orr campaign) living creatures. Many of them sentient. Have you considered, even for a second, while you were tearing mercilessly through their ranks that they might have had families?

STIHL.2489:

AliamRationem.5172:

Not necessarily. What I’m telling you is that I don’t play the way hardcore players do.

What you seem to be missing, is that You are not playing the way Hardcore Players in WoW play, but that has no relation to what demographic you fall into among the GW2 community.

To me, that’s the definition of a casual. And it’s something that I feel GW2 does a great job of encouraging. Play the way I want to play.

Again.. yes.. GW2 fosters that community, as such it has a totally different social setting, which means you very may fall into a totally different rung on the ‘leet’ ladder, not to mention, you may enjoy GW2 more then WoW, so instinctively you play it more, are more invested into it. and thus are inherently driven to be better at it then you ever were with WoW, thus even without thinking about it, you gravitate towards being a far more serious gamer.

Simply put.. just because you were a Casual among WoW’s population, does not mean you are a Casual among GW2’s population.

After all, I would wager that there are a fair number of people who play GW2 that never even bothered to touch WoW, due to how demanding the game is.

And since you mention it, I did my time in WoW. I played from Vanilla through BC and WotLK. I was a hardcore raider in a best-on-server guild and later led my own raiding guild where I was raid leader and played critical roles like main tank, off-tank, and raid healer. I enjoyed it at the time, but I got tired of the way it began to feel like a full-time job. That’s what I think of when I think “hardcore”, and GW2 really doesn’t have a lot of that even for those who enjoy that sort of gameplay.

Bingo.. GW2 even at its most ‘leet’ is still nowhere near WoW’s level, as such, what is casual to WoW, is not necessarily Casual to GW2.

I think you’re a lot more “Hardcore” in this game, then you realize.

I imagine you’re feeling like we don’t speak the same language at this point. I know I certainly feel that way!

No, I was not a casual WoW player. There is nothing casual about leading a raiding guild or being part of the best raiding guild on your server there.

As I said, I got tired of that. The problem? WoW didn’t have much to offer the solo player, relative to a game like GW2 where the situation is reversed and raiding is the afterthought.

Using your definition of “casual”, I am not a casual player by virtue of playing too many hours and being too skilled at the game. By my definition, the fact that I am a solo player and don’t participate in organized group PvE makes me a casual player.

You may disagree but, HoT is still designed the way all of GW2 is designed in the sense that it is for the solo player. Yes, the meta events require large groups, but GW2 allows seamless cooperation. You don’t even need to join those groups and nobody will know or care if you aren’t very skilled or aren’t using the meta build.

You can show up whenever you like and just play on your own terms. To me, that is casual. The fact that the combat and navigation are more of a challenge than core Tyria doesn’t make it less casual to me. What would make it less casual is if it took on the characteristics of raiding. It does nothing of the sort. It is still built for solo players who want to play their own way.

I get that you don’t like it. The combat and navigation are frustrating to you. But you don’t own casual. There are plenty of solo players out there who love HoT and when it comes to raiding, can take it or leave it. The first guild I joined (and am still a part of) is full of players like that. Nobody is running DPS meters or forcing the meta. We all just do our own thing.

The next case of home instance animals will clearly be Choya.

Starts out with the green, yellow, red, and blue choya. Then it grows to the elite specialization choya (9 in total), then the Awakened Choya that you have to feed heket legs to, the Super Racoon Choya from SAB, the Mordrem Choya at the end of Dragon’s Stand, and just skyrockets from there.

DeanBB.4268:

@Gaile: Yet another reason why dogs are superior. They eat anything!

So… when do we get Hungry Happy Dogs?

I’d be thrilled with rabbits (one of which I’m a RL happy owner). The nice thing about those for a home instance is that you really only need a couple and the rest just magically show up. (I think they’re secretly genetically modified asura who would build little asuran gates for their buddies to port in.) Downside: everything would get chewed on from 2 feet down. Upside: Hasenpfeffer! And fuzzy cuddles. Not in that order.

@Gaile: Yet another reason why dogs are superior. They eat anything!

So… when do we get Hungry Happy Dogs?

Zaklex.6308:

Adding OPTIONS for those that have issues is a good idea, making changes to solve those problems does nothing but appease those with problems while irritating those that like the status quo, and hopefully you’ve learned from past experiences when making changes as opposed to offering more options(obviously more options is always the better choice but I also understand that sometimes you’re unable to offer options due to potential limitations of the engine or other underlying factors).

Zaklex this isn’t about appeasing people who complain about an irritating problem. This is about a mechanic which is required to complete the story that is physically causing players to vomit. Your statement might have merit if mounts were not compulsory, however from the small amount of what we’ve seen of the preview not using mounts will lock you out of the story and exploration/map completion, and by extension any events/activities that require a mount to get to the location.

I want to keep the raptor as is too. I suffer from motion sickness in many games, the raptor is not causing me issues and there is a very real chance that changes to how it moves may cause me to suffer while fixing the issue for others. However leaving it as is is not acceptable for a compulsory mechanic. I don’t have to do the noble’s shooting gallery adventure in VB – the action cam makes me ill and I avoid it. There are plenty of other MP available from activities I can complete. Mounts are not in the same league as this, they are a necessity.

I am someone who doesn’t get sick from the mounts, but someone in my family (who has already posted on this thread) does. We play GW2 as a family, so if one person gets violently ill from the mounts, that lowers the chance that I’ll be buying the 4 – 5 copies of PoF for myself and my family.

I do think the mount animations are pretty cool (I especially like the skid stop on the raptor). So, if there is a way to toggle off the problematic things so that people who get sick can play too, I’m all over that idea.

However, if the mounts were changed, it would not affect my game very much – it would certainly be far from a dealbreaker on PoF, and after a week or so, I’d likely forget it was even an issue. For people who do get sick, however, changing the mounts is a huge issue and may mean the difference between playing the game or not.

Even if it didn’t affect a family member, I would not have a problem with losing a trivial cosmetic thing so that hundreds of others could enjoy the game as well.

I can’t see why a multi-layered labyrinthic zone is an anti-casual thing; it’s all about if you like exploration or not.
A zone like TD offers players hours of exploration gameplay, while something like Lake Doric gets old really really fast.

I feel like being a casual player actually gave me an advantage in HoT, particularly regarding navigating the maps.

I wasn’t going in with a checklist of goals I had to complete as efficiently as possible so I could move on to my next set of goals. I was just going to have a wander around and see what happened. I might have an end-point in mind, whether that’s reached a particular vista or POI or the next story step or whatever, but it didn’t bother me if I didn’t get there.

In the process I got to know my way around, not by looking at the map and knowing which ‘level’ each thing was on (I struggle to read maps of all kinds, GW2s is better than many but I’m still inclined to ignore it) but by remembering how I got there.

Draconis Mons is a prime example. When people in my guild were “complaining”/bragging that they’d already finished the story in the first few hours and only had achievements to do but that was going to be really difficult because of the impossible map I’d barely started the story but was able to tell them the map was a spiral and if you just kept going up and left you’d get there because I’d gone in ignoring the mini map and the markers and just wandered around to see what I could find.

They can’t use that gate because the Ebonhawk council has been tossing rubbish over that gate for centuries. It’s so piled up over there the gate will never open.

I heard they were going to add eagle mounts too, but due to some glitch the eagles wouldn’t go anywhere near Mt Maelstrom or any player carrying an ascended ring in their inventory.

Vayne.8563:

I mean, it’s the same as if they were level 1. You could go back to an early area and play with them, in the same way you can play with them without using your own gliding and jumping mushroom, for the brief periods they’re even online.

I agree with this.

It’s like hiking in real life – you don’t leave someone behind because they’re walking slower than you and then complain that the hill was too steep and broke your group up – you go at the pace of the slowest person so you all stay together. (And ideally plan your route in advance based on what everyone is capable of.)

If you were playing with someone who wasn’t level 80 yet you wouldn’t insist they have to come to a level 80 map and then complain that they can’t survive, would you?

So if you’re playing with someone who can’t use updrafts yet then you do things that don’t require updrafts, if they don’t have nuloch wallows then you go the long way around…and so on. Do the other stuff when they’re not online, or when you’re playing with one of the people who does have those masteries unlocked.

Then when your friends do unlock a new mastery you can show them all the cool things they can do with it.

My opinion on the pros and cons of the game …..

Cons —- no cons for me. I still like the game quite a bit hence why I am still playing. If I didn’t like it anymore I would just find something else to play without making a fuss since it is just a game.

We’ve been teased with Kralky, Jormag, and Primordus…and now Orr and Cantha. Truth be told, I don’t know where the hell we’re going. but I’m still enjoying the ride.

I would much rather have this problem with people helping out vs not helping out being the issue.

Personally I don’t give a kitten what they promised or not, I’ll play the game as long as I enjoy it, and when I don’t, I move on. I’ve enjoyed it for a long time, and currently it looks like it’s not going to change anytime soon.

Each player is limited per week in how many tickets they can get, therefore ranks are irrelevant as a rank 1 player can still get the same amount of tickets per week as someone with rank 9k. There are different ways to increase the amount of pips you can get, ranks are only a part of it and it is to reward players who have stuck with the game mode that for years was never as rewarding as pvp or pve.

The rewards are meant to be a longterm goal which is why there is a weekly limit. It is not meant to be farmed in a few days or weeks so people will get bored and leave.

If you dont like it, dont do it, simple as that. There are other ways of acquiring gear. None of the rewards are closed off to you if you actually want to work for them. Any player with a high rank had to earn them, it did not just magically happen and yet you seem to act like you are entitled to everything right away. How about you stop making thread after thread complaining about how this or that is not fair simply because it’s harder for you.

I love this update, I believe it was well thought out and I hope they do not change it to make it easier or faster because of people like you.

Wait we have “WvW gear” gear now? What is the stats, +power, +vitality, +salt?

I wonder why some people believe they are entitled to passive income. You don’t have time to play the game, you don’t have income, it’s that easy really. ArenaNet is already generous by giving you stuff just for logging into the game and opening a chest (Mystic Coins sell for good money). And if you can spend 10 to 15 minutes per day, you can get 2 gold doing dailies.

I see the incentive to do that kind of farming, but apparently, that’s not what ArenaNet wants in their yard, respect it.

It’s also really stressful to semi-afk while doing something that requires your attention. That’s why I stopped playing browser games. I switched from an MMO to a browser game because I imagined it will be easier to just play while doing other stuff, and you don’t have to spend 2 hours focused on a raid. I switched back to an MMO because here I can choose when I log in and play. In browser games, other people decide when you need to pay attention, and they don’t care if you need to do the dishes right now, they’ll just send an attack, at any time of the day. That was stressful, and the truth is that you cannot fully focus on your studies if you are constantly watching if your turret needs to be replaced. Don’t know what you are studying, but if it’s something you can do without focusing for at least an hour straight, you are either a genius or you don’t know the requirements of learning.

It is certainly more efficient to pay undivided attention to studying for 1 hour, do a fractal for 10 minutes, then studying again for an hour (more efficient for both your studies and gaining gold). That is if you have a short attention span. You can also study for 2 hours and then make a break. This semi-afk farming while doing stuff that requires thinking burns you out. Been there, done that.

marelooke.9708:

Ever increasing stats results in less and less content being available since the old stuff becomes trivial and the gear useless.

It also results in lowering the amount of returning players. At least where myself and my friends are concerned, and I doubt we are so unique as to be the only people that feel this way.

Like many others I routinely take breaks from MMOs, especially when they have little content to provide.

While on such a break, Guild wars sends me an email that an expansion is starting, and I should check it out. What does it add? New story, new skins, and models and new areas to explore! I also find out the WvW has been updated, new maps, new rewards.

All we have to do is…
*Jump back into the game
And we can enjoy the new story and new PvP changes to their fullest extent.

I share it with all my friends and we jump back into Tyria for the next 4-8 months tearing it up and having a blast the whole time. PvP, collecting, or PvE we are back the next day doing the content we love. Our classes are old friends we remember, with some new additions but 100% familiar. and while the meta has changed over time

WoW on the other hand sends me an email about the new story, in the new expansion telling me to check it out. Well what does it add? New story, new skins and models and new areas to explore. The PvP has been updated with new maps and rewards. It all sounds great!

All we have to do is…
*Jump back into the game
*Level our character 10 more levels
*Learn the entirely new/revamped mechanics for our classes, which sometimes change their roles completely.
*Farm the new currency to upgrade our gear to raid level
*Join a raiding guild or start our own
*Raid each wing, and gear up between raid tiers, while waiting for more story
*Gear up (or unlock talents) with the new PvP system
And we can enjoy the new story and new PvP changes to their fullest extent.

This doesn’t even include the small breaks for a month or two where you miss a raid tier, or a PvP season. guess what? Time to play catch up grinding the “Old” content to get up to a level where you can play the new content.

I share this with my friends and we discuss at length on discord if we really want to go through another WoW expansion. If we do return, it is with much less excitement than a game like GW2, because we know we are in for 4 hours of work we don’t want to do, for ever 1 hour of fun that we do want.

GW1 and GW2 did a great job of keeping this in check. I always feel welcomed back if I leave, and eager to play again when I come back. Because I know when I return I can start doing whatever I want to do.
New legendary armor? I can start working on it day 1.
New jumping puzzles? I can head there immediately.
New story? Instantly be immersed in the lore of Tyria.
New _______? It’s all available to me because there is no power creep, or vertical progression ever.

It’s almost like the rewards are for people who actually like the game mode and have played it a lot.

I rarely wvw, I’m jealous of those skins, but you know what? I’m happy for these dedicated wvw players who kept the game mode afloat finally getting some really cool stuff. I’ll probably never obtain this armor, but I’m totally okay with that.

People are confusing grind with long term goals, which were HIGHLY NEEDED in WvW.

there are plenty of skins i have just accepted to never having because i don’t want to invest my time into their prerequisites, how is this any different?

Put the same effort into actively playing wvw and those ranks will fly by, if you don’t like the game mode, then accept you missed out on a few skins and move on. If you cant accept it, then grit your teeth and play rather than whine about Anet not making it personally easier for you to deal with your skin compulsion.

People are so focused only on the end ascended items.

People. There are TIERS of rewards. Three of them

Newcomers get the triumphant set and t1 weapons.

Then experienced wvwlders start getting the t2 armor and eventually the weapons.

People that have stuck with the game mode for a long time get the t3 armor.

Its not like if your not getting the t3 armor your getting nothing from it.

Don’t ignore everything else there.

This isn’t supposed to be something people do for the skins. Its a reward for people that play and love the game mode as a whole. The skins aren’t supposed to be the goal here. Its a REWARD for sticking with something for a long time.

The GOAL is to play and enjoy the game mode. If the skins become the goal and are made easier to get then the game mode will be filled with farmers for a short while before they all immediately dissapear agian.

Is the 2k rank minimum for the FINAL REWARDS gonna turn people off? Maybe,…probably..GOOD.

But it will give people that are dedicated to the game mode something to look forward to.

And it may encourage other people to try the game mode and realize they love it.

As such. I STRONGLY disagree with anyone attempting to lower the rank limit.

If this seems super out of hand for you and turns you off from the game mode. You weren’t going to stay there long anyway.

Dont salivate over the new pair of boots and make that your reason for existing. Let it be something you would have gotten anyway for doing something you enjoy and it makes sense.

Some sadistic asura making an experiment trying to see how many silly players will jump to their death.

An interesting question arises:

Should higher-level/-difficulty content by default give better rewards? As in, should the game artificially add meaning to tackling challenging content? Or should the content inherently be rewarding enough to overcome?

Where should the motivation come from, basically?

Yes…. Higher level content:

Fractals & 100CM:

• legendary backpack,
• unique skins,
• stat infusions
• Guild Hall decorations

Raids & CM:

• legendary armors,
• ascneded gear,
• unique skins,
• aura’s
• titles

WvW:

• Armor skins,
• Ascneded armor/weapons
• legendary backpack

PvP:

• Armor skins,
• PvP rewards from season (titles, legendaries, pre’s),
• skins unique to PvP,
• Ascneded armors,
• legendary backpack,

PvE

• Mastry levels,
• unique skins from some worldbosses,
• titles,
• skins,
• aura’s…

Gold, Karma, other currency and AP’s not included…

Endgame… what do you expect from endgame may I ask?

I have 27 ascneded armors on 22 lvl 80’s, 1 legendary armor, 1 legendary backpack, 6 legendary weapons, some aura’s, 28+k AP, a serious list of titles (I use only a few), I suck at PvP, but have seen ppl doing good and receiving pre’s and titles. I have a private guild hall decorated, for myself and close friends, I have all lvl100 CM skins unlocked.

I’m Unclean, but not Eternal, and only did Cairn CM, mostly due to lack of time. I do not have Slippery Slub

I have a decent account…

And now for the most important bit:

I have FUN playing this game, and with this community, being the best reward of all

In the end you play a game because you like it. Which will be your game’s reward.