Guild Wars 2

The announcement is August 1st. We don’t know the actual release date, but it will likely drop within 2-3+ months if we’re lucky.

So whenever there’s been a patch the client begins downloading as normal and everything is fine, but for some reason within the last 5-10% the download speed slowly dies out until it hits 0.

After that it will NOT continue to download. When I close and boot the client again, it will maybe download a few more files before it gives up, meanwhile the internet is working just fine in my browser.

I have run a repair on the game using the generally suggested methods, but the problem persists. This has been happening for about a month and hasn’t improved with time.

I did try this solution just in case, and the client couldn’t even connect when I tried it: https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/support/support/Connection-error-s-detected-Retrying-100/first#post5016682

Facial hair inspired by different cultures would be nice too, for sure. Especially something inspired from Chinese or one of the many African cultures, if only to bring some rep for Cantha and Elona on that front.

She also walks with a cane, I believe, which I assumed was dude to some type of Asuran dwarfism. BUT I think she’s still considered “progeny” and is not an adult Asura, so it’s probably due to her being young and not fully matured physically.

I’ve always been more into the story/pve side of things, and I have fun doing that. I don’t know any of these players obsessed with stats because I avoid most of the game modes that house those kind of people.

I just find a small group of friends in game I get along with and hang out with them. Sometimes we’ll do dailies or help each other with achievements/story, sometimes we’ll do dungeons and fractals, other times we just run around like dorks doing nothing in particular.

I already hate voice chat in Overwatch, I’ll be kitten ed if I have to deal with it here too.

Come join us in PvE where we’re not nearly as obsessed with these things. It’s fun, I swear.

I have 10 slots to cover a male and female from each race, as well as each class (thought I’ve got two mesmers).

Honestly I only play 1 often, unfortunately. I want to give them all attention but it’s hard to do that when one is much more advanced story, stats, and equipment-wise.

I totally feel the same. Whatever happened to my sister?

She could become a general NPC in the scope of guild wars 2, even if she isn’t related to the PC (and she could have an extra line of dialogue or two for those who ARE related to her).

Even just getting some mail from her every so often would be a nice touch, and make it feel like you actually have a family.

If Faren can be a reoccurring character, Deborah should be too.

Yes, the focus on cute/sexy ladies is certainly annoying… I imagine afro-textured/black hair falls outside of that definition popularly, which is a disturbing implication.

I do very much hope we’ll see some improvement soon, and based on what is rumored to be coming, that could very well happen… But I’m also skeptical since this has been an unaddressed issue since the game dropped.

It’d be nice to have an Anet team member chime in to let us know they’re aware of the issue.

Crab Fear.1624:

nah. i just think calling it natural is kinda a misnomer, but hey popular vote decides reality.

“Afro-textured hair is the natural hair texture of certain populations in Africa, the African diaspora, Australia and Asia, which has not been altered by hot combs, flat irons, or chemicals (through perming, relaxation, or other straightening methods). Each strand of this hair type grows in a tiny, spring-like helix shape. The overall effect is such that, compared to straight, wavy or curly hair,¹ afro-textured hair appears denser.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro-textured_hair

Crab Fear.1624:

ive seen some folks with what i would consider to be natural, and it looks oily, mangy, and outright disgusting. but….
if you are referring to the google results of “natural hair”…natural away

Not sure if you’re intending to sound like a complete jerk, but you really really sound like a complete jerk.

Black “natural” hair is extremely versatile and can be styled in an endless number of ways. Personally, I don’t have a problem with “groomed” looks, it’s mostly the texture and style that comes with Afro-textured hair.

Mustbeghosts.7043:

Adding to the chorus for natural black hair styles for humans.

Yes yes yes. More ethnically black-looking hair styles for humans.

My main is a character of “elonan” descent, and I’m a bit disappointed there aren’t any decidedly natural-looking hairstyles for black characters among the human hairstyle options – dreads, braids, twists, afros, cornrows, or curly hair (tight and/or loose).

I’ve been rocking the faux-hawk (pictured) since the game dropped, but I’ve never been able to update her look because the sleek, straight hair doesn’t fit my concept for her.

There are dreads and afro hairstyles on races like the Charr, Asura, and Sylvari, but not for actual human black characters. The norn have one or two, but it really bothers me that there aren’t any true options in the same vein for humans.

I, and others I’m sure, would really appreciate it if the team could include some new natural-looking hairstyles for human characters in a future update.

Canach, Sieran, Tybalt, Taimi!

Majory and Kas are cute too.

- BIG twist at the beginning. Left my jaw hanging open.
- Would’ve been nice to have a memorial to Demmi open this episode.
- Yay Kas! Boo, sidelining her as soon as she reappears (and like... was she drunk at the end there?)
- Different races should’ve reacted to Balthazar in different ways – missed opportunity.
- Overall, episode felt very short and ended abruptly.
- New map was cool, still need to explore. A less-frustrating TD.
- Would’ve been nice to go underwater.
- Final battle was great, but convoluted. So much going on at once dialogue, UI, and battle-wise. The battle was only "hard" because I couldn't figure out what to do first "scan the machine" or "scan the corpse" or that I had to beat down the dog before the flying phase. Also with so much chaos on the actual platform, it was hard to aim the bomb at the downed dogs (couldn't see target reticle very well).

Final thought: not as well developed as episode 4, but big controversial revelations that have my head-spinning on where the series is going. I just hope this plot with B/the 6 is going somewhere interesting.

There are several NPCs I’d love to see return to the story of GW2, even in small ways. I figured I would post about those here; anyone who’d like to add some characters they would also like to see return are welcome!

Malyck – The Harbinger from the Ch. 2 sylvari storyline. He came from “other lands” but could not remember where, had no connection to the pale tree or the grove and had no knowledge of the dream. I was always so fascinated by the storytelling potential there, and really wanted to explore his origins. Since he headed west into the the Heart of the Maguuma at the end of Ch. 2, it’s presumable that his tree might be the dead one in VB. But we never saw him again nor got any confirmation that he was indeed related to this dead grove. I would love for him to show up again, maybe joining Dragon’s Watch or even incidentally participating in S3 (like Demmi did).

Aid Worker Sya – I would really like to see this character grow beyond “random NPC that sits in Lion’s Arch doing nothing.” Being an aid worker, it would make total sense for them to follow the living story/expansions as disasters happen in different parts of the world. Even if Sya is mostly a side character or background flavoring, it’d be cool to see her travelling all over the world to help people in need, similar to a Red Cross aid worker. I would love for her to become a member of Dragon’s Watch, too, but just giving her more of a presence/life in general would be amazing. Lake Doric feels like a missed opportunity in this regard, as it would have made perfect sense for her to travel there to help all the people who were affected by the White Mantle attack.

Deborah – the Human PC’s sister (if the missing sister origin is chosen). I’d really love to feel like Deb is an active part of my character’s life, even if it’s just an occasional letter we get in the mail updating us on her status. Faren has remained a big NPC that has spanned through expansions and living stories – it feels like Deb deserves a similar treatment. Even if she just follows the plot as a member of the Vigil, it’d make sense to have her move around as the plot happens.

Lol y’all are too much. This was a hypothetical paradigm for introducing new races, though I knew I’d get replies from people with no chill.

Beating a dead horse, I know. I’m sure this’ll get picked apart pretty quickly, but was trying to brainstorm through the typical issues associated with adding new races.

Xpan exclusive content:

Have them either start at level 80, or give them a starting area that quickly vaults them up to 80. This could be done by an accelerated story arc in which completed chapters offer 10-15 levels per segment (for a total of 6-8 total instances) The racial content could be heavily tied to the xpan, maybe Kodan as they realize the fight with Jormagg is finally upon them (as an example). So you get a smaller, quicker version of the core campaign’s 1-80 story leading up to the fight with Zhaitan. Once they’re at level 80, they’re good to participate in the xpan content at large, and perhaps have little race-specific bits for them like Sylvari in HoTs.

(Not) Retro-ing race into old content:

Either this race will not be able to participate in the story bits from past content, or they will have to “pick a race” to play as an simply have their avatar subbed into a race’s story using that race’s voice acting/etc. Would break continuity a bit and feel rough/awkward, but would provide a way to do past content without making the Devs/Anet do a huge amount of retroactive work.

Issues:

I know making a new, non-humanoid race would be a lot of work for reskinning/shaping armors to fit their models, so that might kill the idea in the end. Unless they were very humanoid in shape to require minimal adjustments, I doubt we’d get a new race.

Introductory ideas:

Essentially races that would have strong ties to a dragon, who have been very affected by their presence. Kodan could come with Jormagg, Largos with Bubbles, maybe Dwarves with Primordius, and Forgotten or Elonan Centaurs with Kral? Tengu could maybe fit into a Cantha-related xpan, but I don’t know if there’s a corresponding dragon for their area (maybe Bubbles).

Ayrilana.1396:

First off, after you complete it for the first time which doesn’t require crafting

I thought you had to craft the vision crystal yourself? How else can you get it?

I’m trying to get Caladbolg, but I gotta gain those pesky crafting levels.

Does anyone have suggestions or a good guide for 450-500? I have crafting boosters, but all the guides start at 400, and probably require more supplies than I’ll need. Looking to save the headache of trying to put a list together from scratch myself.

I’m a little upset that materials are so freaking expensive… 111 gold for materials is what some of these guides call for and it’s just too much.

It doesn’t help that I absolutely hate crafting to my core. Gotta spend an arm and a leg on something I hate doing.

Lahmia.2193:

A slubling would be great.

Ooof those are so creepy though haha.

I find snails/slugs to be charming and cute, so that’s the draw for me. xD

Offair.2563:

I’d still like a boa constrictor snake pet. F2 it strangulate its target and its called The Eye Popper.

A boa constrictor would be pretty awesome actually. We haven’t had a snake pet yet.

Okay this one is a bit weird I’ll admit, but I just love snails and slugs haha. I think they’re cool, and I think they could make a unique and interesting pet.

Obviously this snail is going to be fast enough to keep up with your character. Lightning snail, anyone? Anyway, just thought I’d inject the idea into the ether…

Ability wise, maybe it has something similar to the Chak, using goo to slow down/cripple enemies. Or potentially something involving regen.

As far as my experience with the game/community of players go, I find people helping me out in tough situations more often than not. Jumping in if I’m struggling, reviving me if they find me dead or downed, etc.

Maybe you have bad luck in regards to that. Personally I prefer being able to solo most of the game. I LOVED playing the healer role in gw1, but the game was so dependent on healers you COULD NOT progress through the game’s story without a good healer or two. It was great to play a healer in that game cause I could always find a party.

You can spec roles like Elem (Water attune) to be a great healer for bigger events. Druid and Necro can also make good healers with the right specs. So it’s definitely an option if you want a classic support role, there’s just no specific “healer/cleric/monk” class.

Honestly getting rid of healers is one of the most unique things gameplay wise that gw2 has done imo.

Mustbeghosts.7043:

I like this idea! It could work like the Zaishen Menagerie, maybe. You can unlock them somehow and a little collection of them can appear some wherein the hall (maybe with babies, too!) But they can only be unlocked once so the hall isn’t overridden with them.

Thats a great spin on the idea! Totally one way this could work.

It could be a matter of simply limiting the number of pets that can appear altogether [only x # of these decorations at any one time]. I think there are ways to make it work without over cluttering, because yeah it could get too crazy for a big guild.

And again, there’s the option of forgoing ranger pets and simply allow for general npc wildlife to be dispersed sporadically throughout the hall.

Was just thinking it’d be really awesome to find my pets dispersed throughout the Gilded Hollow, chilling in some random corner or swimming around in the water.

That kind of feature could be purely optional, maybe even a decoration of sorts. I just think it’d be neat and add some nice ambiance to the hall!

Home instance might also be an option since it’s more personal than the guild hall and you don’t share it, but the halls are so expansive it’d be cool to fill them with some wildlife.

Another idea is potentially including upgrades to add wildlife to the halls, or stock the waters with fish.

I’d very much love to see Cantha and Elona again, someday!

But also interested in other unexplored regions of the world on continents we’ve yet to see.

+ Canach. He’s my favorite, and I loved seeing him. I’m glad he’s free now, but I do hope he doesn’t disappear from the story. He’s one of the best characters in their main cast.
+ Fighting alongside Jennah was fun. I always felt kind of lukewarm about the character, but this made me like her more. I was pretty shocked to see how powerful she is… Like, she can bubble the entirety of DR??? kitten , girl! You deserve that title. Honestly, I don’t know why we aren’t just having Jennah shatter the elder dragons to shreds.
+ Demmi. I loved seeing her again. Coincidentally, I did the introductory Whispers arc on a lower level character the day before the episode came out, so Demmi and her arc was extremely fresh in my mind! It was so cool to see a minor character like that brought back in. MORE OF THIS PLEASE. It was great to get a sense that she’s grown and has been training in the chantry for years now.
+ Exploring Cadecus’ manor. So many fun easter eggs in that instance. Finding that mesmer and her illusion of Faren lol… I died. Cadecus’ ceiling mirror and portrait of Logan. So funny. Please keep the humor present!
+ The plot/story. I enjoyed the parts which actually told the story – the political intrigue was fun. I would love to see MORE of that, but set in OTHER racial homes. Humans seem to have this interesting political life but none of the other races seem to do anything interesting… We had a lot of good Sylvari drama in HoTs, would be great to see more stuff set in Hoelbrek, Black Citadel, and Rata Sum.
+ A new Kryta map. Just fun to return to an “old” area.
+ Jennah doesn’t wear shoes. I really AM intrigued by the fan theory that Jennah doesn’t actually exist, and is simply an illusion Anise has been fabricating for years. They’re both extremely powerful. And with all the hints that Anise is much older than she looks, well, color me curious. I’d love to see Jennah and Anise explored more.

- Demmi’s death. While it was a big twist and hit me right in the feels, I really think the character had more stories to tell. She could have had a WHOLE LIFE after finally being free of her father. I suppose therein lies the tragedy, but I’m just sad to see another good female character go. I don’t see a lot of male characters dying tragically in this way, especially when the death could’ve been avoided. I mean, Demmi is an agent of the order – you think she could dodge a bullet (or at least see one coming).
- “Go out and complete a bunch of events to continue the story.” I really hated that, mostly because I did map completion first and then focused on the “episode” content afterward. It was really irritating to find out that the content was simply repeating the renown quests and doing events. I mean, the initial “go to these four points and see how our forces are doing” set you up to explore and complete the map anyway. Maybe don’t ever do that again, please?
- Kasmeer. I’d very much like to see her again. Please protect her and keep her safe. Bring her back to me. Let her be with her bae Majory. I really hope she’s been doing something super bad kitten the whole time she’s been missing.
-The final battle was atrocious. It’s since been fixed, but I hated it so much it’s worth mentioning.

Tekoneiric.6817:

I want a colocal as a pet for my ranger. They could put a juvenile one in the cave where the queen appears in Dry Top.

At the very least they could just allow our pets to grow up and become veterans. Veteran Bristleback anyone?

I would LOVE some kind of evolutionary stage for pets, even if it’s just one. From juvenile to adult or something. Maybe they get a little bigger and their skin changes slightly, but other stay mostly the same stat-wise.

Danikat.8537:

What if they were re-skins, like the Hall of Monuments pets? For example maybe we could find a full size version of the spirit tiger mini, or a mistfire wolf or something like that (they don’t all have to be shiny and transparent, that’s just the examples that came to mind).

They could be hidden in hard to reach parts of the world, like the existing pets but more so. Maybe at the end of a jumping puzzle or dungeon, or a spot you can only reach by gliding a long way. That would also be a nice throw-back to some of the Guild Wars 1 pets, like the phoenix which you could only get by finishing Factions.

That’s actually a really great idea! Add some obstacles or otherwise make us search for some rarer looking pets. Or unlock them through achievements!

I suppose mainly I was hoping to think of a new feature/mechanic for the Ranger class, but honestly all I want at the core are some more unique or magical looking pets.

I’m more of a PvE person because I love exploring the world and lore, and I love the story/character aspects of gw2. I think really have no interest in competitive play at all, but I’ll do it if there’s a reward track I absolutely want something from. For me, PvP and WvW just is not engaging or interesting.

Haleydawn.3764:

I like the idea of adding unique or as you say “Legendary” pets. But only as an aesthetic, since pets are only used on rangers, their combat stats are balanced with the damage the ranger itself does. So adding higher stat pets will throw things out of whack.
I’m now thinking of all the unique/rarespawn pet skins in World of Warcraft I got before I quit. The spirit animals were amazing.

Yeah, I figure this idea might not exactly work with the current set up of the game, but you never know – the devs could find a balanced way to make the idea work. I simply love the idea!

In the end, even if we just get more exotic looking regular pets, I’ll be happy! I loved the HoTs pets because they looked so different compared to the core pets, so even more of that would be good.

And heck, why not take the idea of Legendary Pets and make them mounts that everyone can use?

This was hands down my FAVORITE easter egg of the episode. XD

Also, loved fighting alongside Jennah and Anise and I was absolutely thrilled to see you bring back Demmi, though I SUPPOSE she might be dead now... Ugh.

As always, Canach remains one of your best characters. More Canach. Always. HE’S THE BEST. I love him. Best boy.

I will say I was pretty irritated when I completed the map first, then focused on the story, only to find the middle “story” portion just made me repeat the heart quests again… That was really irritating and rubbed me the wrong way.

Otherwise, great map that I enjoyed exploring. Enemies/respawn rates were a bit crazy but nothing I couldn’t handle.

I was thinking the other day it would be really awesome for Rangers to go on extended/large quests to be able to tame “legendary” pets, in the same vein that players can craft legendary weapons or ascended gear.

A legendary pet would be something beyond your typical animal. It would be a beast/being that is more fantastic/magical than your average bear or moa bird. Really, the stuff legends are made of – Unicorn, Phoenix, Kraken, etc (of course it’d have to be a small kraken lol).

Essentially a legendary pet would be a bit more powerful, but you would sacrifice the ability to swap between pets in battle (thus, when your legendary pet is equipped, it’s the only one you can ‘wield’). The idea, of course, would be that the legendary pet is strong enough to compensate.

As far as earning the “right” or ability to tame them, you’re going to have to jump through some hoops. Perhaps you need to collect materials and craft them a gift for them to decide to journey with you, or maybe you collect said materials to summon them altogether.

To start, you could have three legendaries, one representing a part of the MMO trinity (tank, dps, heals).

Unicorn could primarily heal/buff you, maybe even res you when you are dead similarly to how story NPCs do. Perhaps their pet skill is fully resurrecting you without penalties to hp/armor, though it has a long cool down (an hour or something, so it can’t be abused too much). Not entirely sure what other legendary pets there should be, but you get the picture!

Since this would be content for only one class, I figure it doesn’t have to be as in depth as legendary weapons, but I think legendary/mythological pets could be a really awesome idea! I’m sure the idea would need lots of fine tuning, but I thought I’d share.

If anything, legendary pets could be an elite skill to summon them for a limited amount of time (or no time limit, but having an extremely long cool down once they die).

OR you could use the idea as a second elite specialization for Rangers, if you ever decided to make more elite specializations in subsequent expansions. “Beastmaster” or “Legendary Tamer,” something along those lines!

Some people report not suffering that much in this fight, which baffles me, so I do wonder if it’s bugged somehow and different people are experiencing different levels of CC. Cause for me I literally could not stand up without being knocked down a few minutes into the fight. I only got him down to 3/4 HP after like… 30 minutes of trying.

The final battle of Confessor’s End is simply too insane. It’s overwhelming!

This episode was FANTASTIC overall. Great story, LOVE the political intrigue (and would love to see more of the same in the future, and not just in human cities too), but this boss fight was so terribly and cruelly designed that it genuinely tainted my enjoyment of the episode.

In the end I couldn’t beat it. The insane, endless floor AOE, the mobs, needing to activate the special skill every 5 seconds, needing to pick up and throw the dang bloodstones – it’s just too much.

When you add the crazy tiny room and how crowded it gets with allies and enemies, it’s an ADHD nightmare. I turned into a pinball. A dead one. And a naked one, once my armor shattered off my body!

I’m thankful for all your hard work on this episode, but for someone mostly here for story/exploration, the fight is just too hard. Please consider nerfing, or at least treat this as a dungeon and suggest people gather a party to beat the final boss.

waaaaaaaaay too hard. couldn’t beat it. please nerf Cadecus/the room.

Agreed. This fight is too hard to solo.

If you want to provide a challenge for more hardcore players, at least provide an easy mode for people that just like to follow the story. OR treat this mission like a dungeon and suggest people party up.

In the end I couldn’t beat him, and I was so frustrated it sort of ruined the whole experience for me. I like a good challenge, but this was impossible and horribly designed.

I agree with the OP.

This fight is just too hard for the casual player. I’m here because I love the lore/story of GW1 and GW2, and while I like a good challenge and a sense of urgency, this boss fight was a nightmare from hell (and not a “nightmare” in a good/adrenaline inducing way).

The room is far too small for the amount of insanity that is going on at once. It’s overwhelming.

If you want to provide a challenge to really hardcore/skilled players, that’s great! But at least provide an easier mode for players who are here for the story. Cadecus and/or the room needs some serious nerfing/redesigning.

In the end I couldn’t beat him and I had to quit the instance because my gear was completely smashed and my character was naked lol. IF ANYTHING, you should treat this as a dungeon and suggest players do this mission with a party.

I loved this update/episode, but the impossible end fight made me so frustrated that it ruined my excitement.

I agree, this fight is too hard for all the reasons you’ve listed!

I really do appreciate all the hard work the devs have put into this update, and overall the new content/map is wonderful and the political story is fantastic and intriguing. Thank you! That being said:

The room is WAAAAAAY too small for so much to be happening at once. WAY too crowded with allies and enemies, too many random lights flashing endlessly, and the agony/special skill attack happens so frequently (every 2-5 seconds sometimes???) that I feel like I can’t do anything. It’s overwhelming in a terrible way.

If I try to pick up a bloodstone fragment, I just get killed within seconds from the aoe floor damage/agony attack, let alone throwing the darn thing. I was downed/dying so frequently that it would take 1 or 2 seconds for the room/Cadecus to kill me again because my armor was completely broken (and character was naked).

For me this boss fight went beyond challenging and straight into hell. I don’t usually get angry playing GW2 but the fight was designed so poorly that I was trying not to scream and cuss while struggling through it. In the end, when I finally gave up (after like 15-20 minutes of dying constantly) he still had 3/4 of his HP left.

Cadecus/the sub-chamber needs to be nerfed somehow. I could barely get his shield down, and when I did I would get taken down by the floor aoe or agony skill thing within 5 seconds.

If you’re trying to provide some kind of insane challenge for more hardcore players, that’s fine. But for people like me who play because we love the story/lore/exploration GW2 has to offer, this WAY too hard. At least suggest people do the level in a party, like a dungeon if you can’t provide some kind of easy/hard mode. I couldn’t solo it in the end.

The fight prior to this up in the mansion was just about right. Still hard and frustrating (though honestly incredibly convoluted as well), but it was manageable. The second battle with Cadecus is simply not, at least for the casual/story-driven player.

I was really enjoying the episode and new content, but I have the say the final battle was so impossible that it tainted the enjoyment/excitement I had all day for it. In the end I couldn’t beat Cadecus, so I quit the instance and switched to a lower level character to do other things/calm down.